Of Horns And Hatred
by Gorgantuan
Summary: In an attempt to get Ichigo out of his depression over the loss of his Shinigami powers, his father sends him away on vacation to Kumakura. But, in a twisted turn of events, Ichigo ends up being put through experiments of ruthless, race-altering and mind-cripplingly, brutal proportions. Rated M for Gore, Language and Sexual Themes.
1. Chapter 1

'.. Why am I here..?' The thought echoed within his vacant mind.

'.. How long have I been here..?' All he could see was darkness. All he could feel was the shiver-inducing, cold bite of the steel he was wrapped in. And there was no sound coming from wherever he was currently situated, other than the blood pulsing in his ear, the beating of his heart, and the barely audible crackle of a live speaker in the distance.

'.. How did I get here?' He questioned. But he, once again, heard nothing.

A sudden, high-pitched whine coming out of the intercom startled Ichigo, his body jerked violently as he tried to defend himself from the non-existent attack that he had been so used to at home, but it was a null effort due to the binding restraints.

Having been in silence for so long caused his hearing to become overly-sensitive somewhat, as his mind tried to pick up any and all sound that could be heard. So when the shrill static sound of the loudspeakers came to life, followed by a dull, droning voice, he was caught by surprise with the sudden introduction of volume

_"Subject number Seven-Three-Five is being prepped and readied for daily, procedural experimentation. Guards, please standby." _The loud, monotonously male voice announced.

'Oh.. I remember now..' The voice in his head saddening greatly as the announcement invoked the memories that had been hidden from his consciousness. 'These bastards kidnapped me and started turning me into their personal guinea pig..' He idly noted the tapping of high-heels on concrete that slowly approached him '.. I still wonder.. How long have I been here..?' The clopping sound of the woman's footwear came to a stop next to him. 'Yuzu.. Karin.. I miss you..' The orange-haired male could hear her breathing, and he swore that he could hear the beating of her heart in her chest.

Something touching Ichigo's arm immediately caused him to recoil, creating a loud, metallic bang that reverberated throughout the expansive room. Then a voice spoke.

"Subject Seven-Three-Five, Kurosaki Ichigo, is incredibly alert and was responsive to my touch." Even though he could not move to try and attack his captors, nor see them to at least stare them down, he didn't try to scream obscenities at them. His reawakened memories told him that it would be fruitless to attempt to yell at them until they let him go. But he wanted to. For even the most minuscule chance at freedom would be better than none at all.

The screech of metal against metal caused Ichigo to flinch. He didn't remember what made those sounds, he just knew that whatever it was, was always followed by insurmountable levels of pain. Perhaps his brain was trying to repress it to prevent any psychological damage? It mattered little to him at this time. The multitude of questions would have to remain unanswered.. But for how long?

.. Yet another question..

"I had really hoped you wouldn't be awake for this, Kurosaki-san.. I'm sorry.." He heard whispered close to his ear. The softness and sincerity held in the feminine voice didn't cause him to start, instead he found himself turning his head in the direction of it, in a failing attempt to look at his captor and experimenter.

"Please, let me go.." he pleaded weakly, his voice hoarse and dry for the lack of liquid that he hadn't been drinking.

"-_Sigh- _I'm sorry, Ichigo.." Ichigo heard the woman murmur, as well as a sudden zipping sound as his head snapped backwards and slammed into the layer of steel that his head had been resting on before he woke, causing the teen to groan in pain as his ears rang and his head throbbed and ached from the rapid, jarring movement.

"Deputy Director Shirakawa, would you please begin the procedure." A different, but still male voice broke through brief silence with use of the overhead speakers.

"Y-Yes, Doctor Kurama, of course!" The newly identified Shirakawa stammered, her tone was apologetic, but apologetic in a way that was more like a child saying sorry after being reprimanded by an elder or a parent, unlike the truly sorrowful, contrite tone she had used with Ichigo.

"Thank you, Shirakawa." The voice belonging to the 'Doctor Kurama' expressed his seemingly insincere gratitude. "Begin stage one of the operation, Deputy Director. All lab tech, be ready for note taking in your designated areas; even if _it_ becomes a failed experiment, there will be much to learn about the process of Forced Genetic-Reassignment and Mutating. Especially when changing humans into a race as complex as the Diclonius." Kurama ordered the woman in the same room as Ichigo, while that very boy was listening to everything he said with eyes wide open behind whatever it was that was obscuring his vision.

"D-Diclonius..? Genetic-Re-Reassignme-" His panicky whispers were cut off by a mechanical whirl and the sound of moving parts.

"Initialising cranial biopsy.." He didn't even have a chance to hear Shirakawa mutter a regretful admission before the noise of his own shrieks and screams of pain drained her out due to an immense pressure being placed upon his head, just above his temples, accompanied straight after by agonising strike of pain as he felt something puncturing the sides of his skull.

* * *

_An Indeterminable amount of time earlier. Twelve months after the Winter War._

"IIIIICCHHHIII-" Eyes snapping open, an angry scowl already plastered across his brow, the orange-haired high school student bolted upright out of his bed, his leg swinging furiously as he watched his father break through the door with his own kick.

"It's too early for this shit, Goat-chin!" The teenager screamed as his foot came in contact with the face of his parent.

"-IIIGGOOOUURRKK!" The Kurosaki elder choked as he was sent flipping back out of the room in an explosion of paper, confusing Ichigo somewhat as the white sheets fluttered to the ground. Isshin, who was now crumpled in a heap outside of his son's room, dizzily muttered his praise about the boy's reaction time.

Leaning over to pick up the loose sheets of paper scattered all over the ground, Ichigo rose an eyebrow in confusion as he briefly scanned the writing printed out on each of the squares of paper. Hotel Reservations. Bank Statements. And train timetables? What is going on? Were they going to be going on holiday or something?

"Oi, Oyaji, what's this about? Are you guys going somewhere?" Ichigo voiced his thoughts as he stepped out into the hallway, waving the printouts in front of his discombobulated father's face. But much to Ichigo's annoyance the bearded man didn't stay that way, instead he seemed to miraculously recover at that instant, only to leap up and hook an arm around his oldest child's neck, earning himself many grunts of protest as the boy struggled to release himself from his father's hold.

"Incorrect, my rude and ungrateful son! It is you who's going to be going away!" This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as the next thing Isshin saw was the floor speeding towards his face, or rather, his face about to be slammed into the hardwood flooring as his only son pushed his face towards it.

"What the hell, Goat-chin! You're kicking me out of the house!?" Ichigo shouted as he tried to grind Isshin's face deeper into the floor. Hearing a indecipherable mumbling, he eased up on his father's punishment and let the older man breathe.

"I'm not kicking you out! I'm just forcing you to take a vacation!" Isshin watched out of the corner of his eye as his son's face took on a blank look for a short moment, and only a second later, observed as a vein bulged out of Ichigo's forehead, his expression changing from an almost thoughtful one to outright pissed off.

"That's the exact same thing!" Removing his hand of the back of his parents head he proceed to swap the hand for a more powerful means of attack; his foot.

Taking the brief opportunity, Isshin rolled out of the way, kicking the legs out from under Ichigo as he did, catching the teen by surprise. As Ichigo's landed on his back with a loud _thump_, he found that he could not get back up since there was now a large amount of weight on his chest. Looking up he saw his old man staring at him with a stern look on his face, instantly causing Ichigo to realise that he was trying to be as serious as possible.

"Ichigo, ever since you gave up your power's to stop Aizen you've been doing nothing but mope around at home all depressed and gloomy." Ichigo went to open his mouth to object, but couldn't find it within himself to do so.

He knew it was true. He wouldn't hang around after school with his friends, or go into town to have some fun. He would come home straight away and hole himself up in his room, the only people he would openly acknowledge were Yuzu and Karin. "So, I finally got tired of your attitude, and decided that I would help change that!" The man hollered.

Staring up at his father, Ichigo couldn't decided whether to punch the man, or hug him. Even though the thought of physical contact with his father -outside of fighting- made him gag and almost empty his stomach. He was somewhat thankful either way.

Isshin was given him the chance to have a break from his life in Karakura Town. To get away from all the things that reminded him of what he once had, even if it was just for a short time. He would be able to hopefully clear up some of his life once he was wherever he was being sent to, and be able to think clearly without previous memories getting in his way. He could have some time away from his friends who were now blatantly ignoring and avoiding him.

Turning his head, Ichigo scowled at the small stack of paper that still remained in the hand he had picked them up with. Keeping his gaze intently on them for a few more moments, he finally let out a quick sigh.

"When am I leaving?" He asked, turning to face his dad, who had let up on the pressure on his chest.

"Tomorrow evening. So you're going to have to pack your bags tonight, and say your goodbyes to whoever." The Kurosaki patriarch held back a grin when he saw his son's twitching eyebrow and barely restrained anger.

"And what about school? Surely they wouldn't let me just up and leave for a couple of days?" He questioned through gritted teeth as he saw a cheeky glint appear in Isshin's eye. That punch he had contemplated was looking better than ever right now.

"Well, my son, if you must know, I had already called up and organised it all last month! They told me that, with your grades, they will allow you the time off," Ichigo raised a brow in uncertainty. That face was never followed by something so.. Normal and parent-like as what he had just been told, or was the man not.. "For when I kick you out for a month!" .. Finished.

Ichigo stared up at the man he called his father, his mouth agape and eyelid twitching, simply stunned by what he had been told. Isshin never saw the uppercut coming.

"What the fuck, Goat-chin! Are you sending me to a rehab clinic or something!?" The orange-haired teen shouted, getting to feet while his father flopped onto his back with a dazed look on his face. "Why in Kami's name are you sending me away for a month!?" His irate yelling gradually increasing in volume. "Well?!" He demanded bluntly.

"Because that's the amount of time that we thought you would need, Ichi-nii." A quiet voice called out from behind him, stopping Ichigo in his verbal tracks.

Turning around, he saw the two most important girls in his life standing a few feet down the hall from him and their prone father. His sisters, Karin and Yuzu.

"Yuzu?" He asked softly, his voice sounding concerned as he took in the appearance of his light-brown haired, little sister. She stood there, subtly shaking, clutching her arms together, and practically on the verge of tears. Her twin was in a much more stable state, though she still sported a saddened look on her face.

"A m-month is the amount of time we -_Sniff-_ thought you would need to get better, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu cried out, her delicate voice cracking as she spoke. Ichigo just remained silent and speechless as he watched a single tear run out of the corner of his little sister's eye. "I want the old Ichi-nii back.. And we thought that if we sent you on vacation for a month that it might help you to get better.." Seeing her in a clearly distraught mood was like a knife to the heart. He wanted to care for, and protect his sisters, but in his current depressive state it seemed that he was only hurting them. "I'm sorry, Ichigo.." That utterly floored the older brother.

"Don't apologise, Yuzu." Ichigo quickly told her, slightly shocked that she was apologising for being worried about him. "It's me who should be sorry." He gazed into the eyes of the sister who was starting to look so much like his mother, and in some ways _is_ the family's matriarch with the way that she takes care of the house and every one in it.

Stepping up to his light-haired sister he drew her into a hug, rubbing her back softly as she hiccupped. He also sent a small, sad smile towards the less open of the two twins, which she returned. Remaining that way for a few moments, he slowly turned his head towards his father, who was now standing up again, a normal smile on his lips this time.

"So, Goat-chin, where are you sending me?" He asked quietly.

Isshin took a short moment to reply as he softly smiled at his children. Unbeknownst to him, the words that Isshin would speak would haunt him for many years to come "You'll be going to Kamakura and be staying at a nice hotel there.. It'll be good for you, Ichigo, and I'm sure it will be** life changing**"

* * *

**Just a few things.**

**-Haven't seen Elfen Lied in a while so forgive me if anyone is grossly out of character.  
****-Sorry for those wanting me to update TPUTD, I lost all inspiration to write over the holidays and it has become somewhat of a chore more than something fun ****  
-This is more of a prologue chapter to set up the story. So my apologies if it feels rushed.  
****-I will be writing the chapters shorter and at a faster pace than usual, so that I can keep things interesting for myself and release more, faster.**

**Hope you enjoyed**

**- Gorgantuan.**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Subject Seven-Three-Five has been sedated and readied for examination. All staff stand by. All guards stand by."_ The droning, male voice announced.

A grinding of machinery reverberated through the hall-like room that held Ichigo's prone, unconscious body, that lay in a crucified position on a large, gleaming steel table; the occasional stain of blood tarnishing the surfaces closest to his body.

White light flooded the room as a pair of enormous, metal doors swung open, groaning deeply as they figures stood outside in the light as they waited for the doors to finish opening. Once the massive doors had finished their agonisingly slow movements, a multitude of thumping steps marched into the room accompanied by the clattering of firearms and the squeaking of a small cart being pushed in alongside the scientists and soldiers.

Hastily they made their way to Ichigo's 'bedside,' and immediately began doing the duties that they had been assigned prior to entering the room; the armed men standing guard around the scientists, several of said scientist were opening thick notepads while moving to certain points of Ichigo's body. The rest acquired various tools that looked more fit for a surgery.

The singular person who looked out of place amongst them all was also the only woman currently present, Deputy Director Shirakawa, who situated herself next to the head of the boy that they were about to examine.

There was lull for quite a long moment as each of the men prepared themselves. During that time Shirakawa took her time to gaze over all of the staff surrounding her.

She could see the note takers' hands shaking slightly, a barely audible clacking as the pens were jostled around within their grips. It was much the same with the examiners and the medical gear that they held. They were afraid. Or perhaps nervous? Either way, their worry was well justified given their current circumstance; A test subject that they had been working on and assisting with was now within touching distance from them all, and due to the nature of the experimentation there was a very real chance of the boy already having the exact capabilities of the race they were trying to turn him into.

Shirakawa didn't want to have to do this to the teen lying unconscious in front of her, when she was initially hired she had only thought that she would be Kurama's assistant of sorts. Never did she believe that she would be put in charge of such a torturous experiment as this, while under the watch of the man who had assigned her to it.

It took everything in her will to _not_ free Ichigo and flee with him to report back to her true superiors. Because, to do so would surely lead to her and Ichigo's deaths at the hands of Chief Kakuzawa and the numerous amounts of security police behind him.

"You may begin now." She announced to the lab coats around her. They reacted instantly to her verbal command and began their work.

She watched over each of them as they all did their individual jobs. Several taking bone-marrow samples with large needles, another few getting small tissue samples from different areas of the body, and some just doing standard body examinations, all while calling out to the note taker, whom they each had been paired with.

She cringed slightly as she saw the tiny streams of blood flowing out of the fresh, flesh wounds being inflicted unto his person.

It was not that she didn't like the sight of blood or exposed flesh, she'd had more than enough medic experience to not be effected by such things in that way. The reason for her flinching away from the sight was that she had, admittedly, gotten herself rather attached to the seventeen year old during these several long months as his 'caretaker', and could not bear to see the innocent teenager go through so much pain. Even if he was unconscious.

It had been several months since she was initially assigned to oversee the majority of the testing on Ichigo, while being under the constant guidance and surveillance of General Director Kurama, so any chance she got to talk to the boy, even if he didn't respond, she would hold quiet conversations with him while they were alone in an attempt to communicate with him that she was trying to care for him as best she could.

Shirakawa had also gotten into the habit of wearing the same perfume each day that she would visit him. This had started when, one day, she had seen the boy tilt his head slightly into the air more, and slowly breath in a chest full of air, followed by a softly muttering of her name. She knew that he didn't know she was present at that time; he had only just woken up and Shirakawa had yet to actually say anything or make any noise.

A voice, distorted by the intercom, snapped Shirakawa out of her thoughts.

_"Do not forget to examine any areas where hair may grow. We are trying to get this boy as close to a Diclonii as possible, and any changes to the colour pigmentation of Seven-Three-Five's hair, or even complete loss of hair will strengthen any and all of the positive results of our testing." _Shirakawa silently noted the eagerness in Kurama's voice as he issued his order to further examine Ichigo.

Several of the lab techs, who looked to have finished what they had been doing, instantly went into action, and almost spontaneously a very slight blush found its way onto Shirakawa's face.

One of the assistants had pulled back the starch-white sheet that covered Ichigo's sex. It was only thanks to many years of professional medical history and being about twice the age of the _man_ laying in front of her, that she had been able to prevent herself from turning into a blushing, flustered, and stammering mess.

"The hair around Subject Seven-Three-Five's genitalia appears to have fallen out, though there is no apparent change in colour to be seen." The man drawled as he lifted a loose hair and placed it into a small tube, the man behind him taking notes as he spoke.

The man re-covered Ichigo's gender and then turned to Shirakawa expectantly. She understood what was to be done next.

"Requesting permission to remove Subject Seven-Three-Five's Restraining Helmet, Director Kurama!" Kami, she hated calling Ichigo that.

_"Permission granted, Shirakawa. Also, please check for any further horn growth. He had the beginnings of a pair of horns growing just behind his temples, so no doubt there will have been more growth since that time."_ The man responded, his voice sounding even more eager than just a moment ago.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Shirakawa gently lifted his head to access the lock mechanism at the back of the helmet, and with a click she felt the gear encasing Ichigo's head loosen, and with great tenderness she eased the Restraining Helmet off of his head.

The room was dead silent as the head gear was being removed. All the scientists had stopped or finished the duties that they had been accredited to, so that they could watch the events happening right next to them unfold. And it was with bated breath that they stood, waiting, staring at the experiment to check for any further development into the realm of the Diclonius.

They all choked on their lungful of air as his face was unveiled.

Ichigo's eyes were wide open, staring distantly into the bright, white light that hung above him. But nothing happened as time passed.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Twenty.

Finally, Shirakawa, who had been frozen in place, shook herself from her startled daze after coming to the realisation that Ichigo had just passed out from the heavy dosage of anaesthesia with his eyes open. Releasing the breath she had been holding onto she let out a small sigh of relief, and started doing what they had removed the helmet for.

Running a hand through Ichigo's hair, which had grown a great deal since his arrival, she tenderly grabbed a handful of the flattened hair and laid it out on her palm so that the light would illuminate the strands within her grasp.

"Pigmentation of the hair on Subject Seven-Three-Five's head appears more pink in colour, though not completely. I would describe the colour as.. Coral pink, a halfway point between the orange of his natural hair colouration and the pink of Lucy's own hair. Perhaps due to the deoxyribonucleic acid from Lucy that was used in the genetic reassignment?" She spoke aloud to the small crowd accompanying her in the exam, and not wasting any more time, she moved to inspect the horns which had supposedly started growing out of his head.

Brushing away his shoulder length hair, Shirakawa cringed when she saw the state of his head around the point where the horn was protruding out of. It looked as if someone had taken a blunt object and started trying to beat the teen to death.

Surrounding the strangely small, - for lack of a better word - spike-like horn was bruising so dark it was almost black. The entire side of his head looked swollen with fluid, which Shirakawa had to guess was blood due to the rivulet of crimson running out of the inflamed perforation in the side of his head.

Relaying this information out loud to the room, she then moved on to one final thing. His eyes.

She had seen them wide open but hadn't taken note of the what colour they currently were, since the incredible amount of fear and fright had utterly paralysed her.

Pulling a penlight out of her pocket, she leant over his face, casting it in shadow. Shirakawa carefully opened the partially lidded eye, making sure not to touch the eye itself, then clicked on the little LED light. The moment his face was illuminated, her entire body and soul froze.

Ichigo's violet eyes were staring straight back at her.

...

She heard the long intake of air which Ichigo took through his nose, but their eyes remained locked. A cold sweat starting to ravish Shirakawa's flesh, as her heart hammered within her chest. She could not move, she had tried to, but she could not will her muscles to move.

She was only given a moment to process the whisper Ichigo mouthed before chaos near-literally exploded around her.

'Shi-ra-kawa'

An eruption of blood and screams shattered the tense atmosphere, almost everyone present paled as they watched the three nearest Subject Seven-Three-Five's head be instantaneously split in half at the waist, their entrails and blood flinging in all directions as their upper and lower bodies separated from each other. Had those three still been alive they would never have felt the second assault as something penetrated their chests at five different points before it rapidly dragged upwards, the front of their chests and heads bursting open, showering the room with even more gore.

The panic and trepidation filling the room was practically palpable as every man fled from their station trying to get away from the very awake Diclonii. Two failed to put enough distance between themselves and Ichigo before their legs were torn asunder from their body's. Neither of them could react quick enough to escape their deaths as one had his skull thoroughly decimated between the steel medical cart they had wheeled in and the solid ground beneath him. The second man could only pull himself an inch before the entire back half of his ribcage was torn off of his corpse in a cluster of bone, flesh and sinew, very much similar to the way a child would tear into the wrapping paper hiding a gift.

The next thing to happen was only seen by Shirakawa as she remained where she was gazing deeply and fearfully into the bright, purple eyes that stared right back at her own watery, brown eyes.

Two small bursts of blood spurted out of the sides of Ichigo's head, and with grotesque cracking and squelching sound two protrusions shot forth out of where the two small spikes were growing behind Ichigo's temples.

Flinching as blood splattered across her face and glasses, the ashen-brown haired woman managed to get her face away from Ichigo, and in a stroke of luck, prevented herself from being impaled through the face, by only a hairsbreadth.

When she jolted her body upright, she clutched her hands to her chest to try and steady her raging heartbeat, but found herself gaping as she stared back at the man that had just killed five others in the space of a few seconds.

Where there were once miniscule points, there were now entire horns.

Not the short, blunt and rounded horns like Lucy and the rest of the female Diclonius had. No, these gore-soaked bone daggers that jutted out of Ichigo's skull, curving at a sharp angle so they pointed forward with his face, were far more vicious and demonic looking than that which existed in the race that he was now, definitively, a part of.

* * *

In a darkened room, illuminated only by the light of several dozen monitors, a man sat shaking almost imperceptibly as he gazed at the numerous images in front of him.

He had watched the happenings during the examination of Director Kurama's experiment.

He saw the three men be split in half then violated further by having their chest and face clawed off, followed soon after by the death of a man by being crushed between steel and smooth concrete and the another having his entire back ripped off. Then finally, the abrupt sprouting of the demon-like horns.

This was not the source of reason for his shaking however.

It was soon, almost instantaneously, after Ichigo's awakening that he could hear whispers and low cries coming from every cell, every enclosure, and every containment room being monitored.

It wasn't until the murmuring got louder and the specimens began to move, that he was able to discern the words they uttered.

_".. king."_ A cup smashed as it fell loose from the fingers holding it.

_".. a king.." _The audible breathing grew erratic as the every figure on-screen turned to face the direction of the chamber holding Subject Seven-Three-Five.

_".. 've a king.."_ Frantic prayer filled the room as the lone figure watched the one camera that showed only Lucy's slowly rising, metal-encased head. As her head finished rising the final utterance finally found clarity.

_".. We.. Have.. A.. King..!"_

* * *

_** Hope you enjoyed. I was very surprised how much attention this got and could not've been happier with the response I got.**_

_**EDITED CHAPTER. Replaced 'Kaede' with 'Lucy'**_

_**Was going to write more but I thought that was a good place to end the chapter.**_

_**REVIEWS:**_

**_Bunny153539:_**_ I meant to say that I haven't revisited EL in a while, I have read the entire manga and watched the anime multiple times. Answers - Ichigo's not being saved will be explained next chapter - 17 - And yeah they will have a chapter or two with Kohta._

**_Phantom Dark-Knight: _**_I'm actually extremely surprised no one has written a fiction like this already, seeing as the premise has great potential.__  
_

_**tctilly: **Yes. :D  
_

**_Many thanks._**

**_- Gorgantuan_**


	3. Chapter 3

_The day of departure._

"Are you sure you want to do this, Isshin-san?" The ex-Shinigami addressed remained mute for a moment before sounding out an annoyed grunt.

"We've already been over this, Kisuke. I would not feel right spying on him for his entire vacation. So yes, I am sure." Isshin answered as he watched his most emotional daughter cling to Ichigo's front, no doubt telling him that he needs to eat properly, wash often, along with a myriad of other commands while he's away.

Kisuke just shook his head, an uneasy smile on his lips, "It would not be spying! I would only be placing a small tracking Kidō on him so that we would be able to ascertain his whereabouts whenever we so pleased!" He half-gloated, appearing somewhat proud of the Kidō he was offering to snare Ichigo within.

"That's the exact same thing, Kisuke!" Isshin glared at the bucket-hat wearing man out of the corner of his eyes. "If I were to do that to him, even though he would be unable to figure out, I would feel like I'd be contradicting myself," he slumped into his seat ever-so-slightly, "I was fine with him going off by himself while he was a Shinigami; even if you were making sure that he lived through it all. But he is no longer a part of that world." His voice grew stern as he gave his reasoning. "If I were to spy on him while he was away trying to come back to normal, human life, I feel like I would be betraying him and the little trust he has in me. Kami knows that Masaki would have a fit if she knew that I was spying on her son."

The light-blond man just laughed quietly at the airy joke. Just like Ichigo; there was no changing the man's mind once he had dedicated to doing something. Perhaps it was just part of the Kurosaki male charm, but whether Ichigo would admit it or not, he and his father were incredibly alike, in regards to their stubbornness and their bull-headed attitudes that is.

"I guess I'll just have to find another use for the Kidō that I made just for this occasion then.." Kisuke sighed in attempt to guilt trip the man into being able to use it, only he found himself yelping as something sharp dug into his leg.

"Eeeyyouch! What was that for, Yoruichi?" He tenderly rubbed the sure-to-be-bleeding area on his leg.

"You know exactly what for, Kisuke." The male voice of Yoruichi's cat form chastised the dark-clothed man. "But you said it yourself, did you not? Ichigo is in no danger from the spiritual realm, what with the Hollow sightings being next to zero around Kamakura. And he's not exactly going to be beaten by a group of street thugs, especially not since I had been the one to train him somewhat properly in hand-to-hand combat." A small, feline smile worked its way on to her face as she stared at the boy trying to pry his little sister off of himself. She took great pride in what that boy had achieved while under her tutelage. Ever since Suì-Fēng, Yoruichi had been trying to fill the growing void to teach once more, and when her chance to beating the ever-living-hell out of Ichigo came about, she had jumped at the chance, and had never before been happier with her decision to do so.

Yoruichi paused for a moment as she watched her protégé interact with his sisters. "Plus, it's fairly close to Karakura town, so I'll be visiting a few days a week, if need be, just to check in on him. Without Ichigo knowing, that is."

"Oh? But isn't that spying, Yoruichi-san?" The, some would call, eccentric shopkeeper intoned, flipping out his fan in the process.

"Yeah, but Isshin and I had already agreed on it being the only form of 'spying' that we would do." Yoruichi commented offhandedly, ignoring the comical look of hurt on Urahara's face. Both Isshin and Yoruichi also dismissed the mumblings coming from Kisuke about back-talking and betrayal, in favour of watching Ichigo make his way over to them.

"My train's about to leave, Goat-Chin." The second the words left Ichigo's mouth, the announcer spoke out to everyone at the station, informing them that they need to begin boarding. Hurriedly grabbing the handle on his luggage case, the teen began wheeling it off in the direction of the nearest entrance, before stopping to turn his head for a moment. "See ya later, Old-Man, Yuzu, Karin." He called out to his family, giving them a short wave over his shoulder. The light-haired twin waved vigorously, almost shouting her goodbyes. The more composed twin just gave a small smile and an equally brief wave as Ichigo turned back around, disappearing into the train.

"So tell us why, again, we had to come here and say goodbye, in our soul forms, if he couldn't even see us?" Kisuke questioned.

"Because, even though he can't see you, it is the polite thing to do, Urahara-san!" The storeowner was mildly surprised when it was the only-slightly, spiritually aware Yuzu that replied, not Isshin.

"And he hadn't told any of his friends either, Urahara-san." This time it was Karin. "Since none of them are here, it would only make sense that you would not be here either, seeing as he didn't tell you two as well." The dark-haired twin finished, started to trek back to the car.

Kisuke just stood there, a humbled look on his face as the Kurosaki's began to walk away from him. A low chuckle emanating from Yoruichi caused him to divert his eyes away from the smirk that plastered itself on the father's face.

"Are you losing your touch, _Urahara-san_? Having to be lectured by a pair of girl only just entering their teens so that you could figure out something as simple as why you came here must sure be debilitating to that Gillian-sized ego you have." She laughed even more when she saw the man deflate and begin sulking and grumbling that he did know why he was there. Yoruichi just shook her head and started padding away, stealing once last glance in Ichigo's general direction.

'See you in a few days, kid.. Stay safe.'

* * *

_An indeterminable amount of time after Ichigo's Awakening._

"Kill it." Director Kurama voiced, his directive barely louder than a whisper as he stared at the modified mask that was enclosed upon the subject's head; two bone horns protruding several inches out of the front of the helmet.

"Sir?!" The armed guards surrounding Kurama questioned.

"Kill the subject." He clarified, lifting his arm and pointing at the large, circular metal cage. The shadowed figure within shifted slightly as multiple safeties clicked off on the black submachine guns the guards were armed with.

Yes, sir!" The guards chorused. They lined up their sights with the target and waited for the signal.

"FIRE!" Shouted the man that led the group of soldiers, and with it the men let fly a shower of lead. The crack of gunfire causing Kurama to flinch from the extreme volume. Although inaudible, beneath the barrage of sound and ammunition was a muted scream of pain that was sourced from amongst the cage.

As the firing came to a stop, all stood silent for a moment to make sure their target had been eliminated, as per the order. When they watched the standing form slump to the ground in a lifeless heap, each of the armed men lowered their arms and took a small step back.

Choosing to step up to the rounded cage, Kurama stared down at the body that he could see was now lying in a rather large pool of blood, several splatters from exit wounds also covering the floor. He looked over the rather emaciated figure's frame, particularly the chest area. The subject was definitely dead with the copious amounts of blood that's leaked out of it and the chest that was no longer rising and falling with the breaths it no longer took. The wound through the centre of its head finally cemented that fact.

A low sobbing caught Kurama's attention. He glanced up at the tall figure that remained suspended above them, it's body wrapped in a thick fabric, before he began speaking.

"Subject Seven-Three-Five, codename: King, has successfully reacted to the last stage of testing; Execution of its own kind." The Director switched his gaze back to the dead corpse on the ground and cringed. Not only do these clones age more rapidly, they decompose relatively quicker as well. "Shirakawa!" He heard the hurried clacking of his Deputy Director's heels advancing towards him.

"Director Kurama?" She questioned.

"See to it that the clone be properly disposed of." He got a prompt "Of course" in response before he continued. "King's - or Ichigo as you have you come to calling him - cage will need to be further expanded, as it appears that his vectors have grown yet again." The instant he finished speaking, a large flurry of sparks flew off the metal bars that enclosed Ichigo's being. Reflexively taking a step back Kurama and Shirakawa put their eyes back on the teen that they had been working with for the past months. He was still visibly shaking from the mourning that his new heritage and subsequent gain of powers caused him to suffer through, but now he had his head tilted slightly towards them.

"That's almost a metre in under two weeks.." Kurama uttered under his breath. Turning to face the woman next to him he noticed her idly tracing the newly acquired scars on the side of her face. The scars that Ichigo had made when his Diclonius side had awoken.

"Shirakawa, See to it that those jobs are done. The last of the mental link testing is finished." The bespectacled woman nodded mutely, but as Kurama glanced at her, he could see the relief practically pour out of her being. "We will begin testing with King and Number Thirty Five and Number Seven soon." Shirakawa froze at this announcement. "And if all goes well.. Chief Kakuzawa will want to do the same with Lucy."

Before Shirakawa could even speak out against this the wailing of alarms cut her off.

**"A State of emergency has been declared!" **A recorded voice started blared out, echoing through the room, startling everyone greatly.

"What!?" "What's going on?" "What's happening!?" Were the variations of confused shouts coming from the weapon wielding men. All sporting looks of panic and fear as they began nervously edging closer towards to door.

**"The underground research block will be sealed in sixty seconds! All staff please evacuate Immediately!" **The woman's voice continued.

Managing to wipe the startled looked of his face and replace it with of professional seriousness, Kurama gathered his wits and called out his orders. "Guards, follow me!" He weaved his way through the small line of men and headed towards the door, leaving Shirakawa staring at his back as they proceeded to march out of the large room.

"Director Kurama! What should I do!?" When Shirakawa saw that he was about to leave without addressing her without any additional instructions. Her exclamation making him pause, but not turn around.

"You have your orders already, Deputy Director. As for now the time being; make sure that _Ichigo_ is well enough for the coming tests with Thirty Five and Seven." Putting emphasis on the boy's real name was clue enough for Shirakawa to understand the hidden meaning behind his orders, and she watched as his image was slowly closed on by the enormous metallic doors.

An eerie silence befell the two remaining people in the room as the doors locked shut with a thunderous boom, the only sound being the low moans of sorrow coming from Ichigo.

Talking a step up to the very outside of the partition made to indicate the distance of the subjects vectors, Shirakawa looked up at Ichigo, her expression filled with an almost motherly amount of worry and compassion for the boy in front of her.

"Ichigo.." The whisper had unwillingly left her mouth, but she did not attempt to stop herself. ".. I'm going to come inside. Is that okay with you?" Jeez she almost sounded like a mother.

There was no audible or visual clue indicating his answer. So, in a risky move she shakily eased her hand past the barrier, and found herself deeply relieved that her arm had not been violently detached from her body. She slipped under the horizontal bar keeping her separated from reaching area of the multitude of vectors that Ichigo was armed with. If she was to do this with anyone other than Ichigo it was a guaranteed act of suicide. Well, doing this still was, but her own chances of making it out alive was infinitely greater than any other being that was not a Diclonii.

Gradually she made her way to him, closing the near-eight metre gap between them, until she was well within touching distance of him. Reaching out, she was about to place a delicate hand on the spot on the canvas like fabric where his hand was approximately, but a sudden pressure around her waist caused her to stop as she was surprisingly gently lifted into the air and brought face-to-helmet with Ichigo.

As she heard his sniffling cease and be taken over by long intake of air, like many times before, she found herself gazing at the horns sticking out of the specially modified slots in his Restraining Helmet. It had been a long time since she had seen them up close, but this was the first time however that she had not seen them not smeared with blood and gore. She was amazed at how beautifully dangerous they looked.

The bones' colour more akin to that of marble than the cream white of actual bone. It's unnaturally sharp angles made them look far more like daggers and appear sharp enough to be actually used as a semi-feasible weapon in close quarters.

"Shi-ra-kawa.." His tortured voice broke her from her analytical staring. "Please.. Let me go.." The teen pleaded. "I want to leave this place.. Please let me go so I can see my family again.." This caused her eyes to widen tremendously from behind her glasses. She had completely forgotten about the outside world and the fact that this boy might actually have family and friends searching for him. That sudden realisation brought about a wave of guilt.. They've probably given up by now, it has almost been six months since they had initially abducted him from the hotel that he had been apparently staying in when the men Kurama had sent 'acquired' him.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, but I have no way of getting you out.. It would be impossible for me to even attempt it.." She found herself being drawn closer to him, and in anticipation for an outburst of anger she bit down on her lip, drawing blood.

"Then kill me.."

Shirakawa had been so petrified with shock from what she had heard that her mind chosen not to listen to the abrupt explosion of gunfire that could be heard from just outside the immense steel doors sealing her inside the room. Nor did she hear the slow grinding of metal, or the booming crack of the door's locks being released.

It was not until a blinding light flooded through the expansive room that she was shaken from her grim stupefaction and horrified stare. Seeing the light shimmer as Ichigo lifted his helmet-encased head, Shirakawa fearfully turned her head as her ears finally picked up the sound of bare feet padding their way closer to the two of them, before the sound came to a stop.

Her frightened stare finally met its target.

Standing at the edge of the barricade of indication, her breasts and body exposed to the world, was the Queen of the Diclonius. Lucy.

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed!**_

_**Had most of it done quicker than normal, however there were delays due to work and life, so proofreading and wasn't very thorough. So if there are any glaringly obvious mistakes please pm me or tell us in a review, etc etc.**_

_**To answer everyone's question. Yes, his horns look like his Ulquiorra Fight horns, except a bit more natural, and they are actually growing from his skull.**_

_**REVIEWS:**_

_**Zanka no Tachi 31: **Many thanks for pointing that out, mate! I guess I do need to read over the manga again if I forgot that, haha._

_**Silight03: **1. I'm going to try to keep him as canon as possible, with appropriate adjustments that is. 2. Can't reveal too much, but there will be a death or two. 3. For the first few chapters it will be EL storyline, will then moved back into Bleach after, changes to canon will be made appropriately. 4. Vector strength will be adjusted slightly. 5. Had considered making it Ichigo/Lucy +1 Bleach girl. But am unsure as of now. _

**_Thorndsword: _**_I am honoured you think so, dude. Many thanks! I would write more, but I am a slow pace writer, and only like to focus on one story at a time, as I would feel bad if I took ages too write chapters._

**_Many thanks to all your reviews, I love reading them all when I wake up in the morning, and I would reply to them all but I would be cheating you if half the chapter length was just reviews. So I just chose a select few._**

**_- Gorgantuan._**


	4. Chapter 4

Metal screamed as its structure was compromised. The barrier of steel that surrounded Ichigo and Shirakawa twisting and conforting in hectic ways as the force of Lucy's vectors brought itself down of the limbs of iron encircling the two.

Shirakawa gaped as she watched the naked girl pacing her way over to them. Her mind was screaming at her to do something, anything, to try and diffuse the hazardous predicament that she found herself stuck right between. The natural queen of the Diclonii race was making a beeline straight towards her and the forcefully assigned king, while she remained trapped, held a few feet in the air against her will, her body being the only thing that would separate in only a few more steps.

"L-Lucy!" She tried her best to sound mature and in charge, but failed miserably as the words stumbled out of her mouth. "S-Stop this at once! You w-will be severely punished if you do n-not cease your actions!" Her voice was more terrified than stern.

The girl did not listen, nor did it seen like she was paying attention to Shirakawa at all. If the Restraint Helmet wrapped around Lucy's head had not been there, Shirakawa was sure that she would see the former would be completely ignoring the latter's existence, only focused on her target that her partially blinded eyes would be focused on.

Speaking of. Shirakawa took the risk to stop carefully watching Lucy, and turned back around to return her gaze to Ichigo.

The teenager was silent. However not the usual silence that accompanied him. Usually you would be able to heard the long, drawn out breathing, and the rush of air as the exhale was filtered though the helmet's minimalistic breathing apparatus. Also, there was usually a 'feeling' of sorts that would emanate from Ichigo whenever she was near and he was aware of her presence. But none of that was present, just absolute stillness as his own modified helmet's blank stare directed itself at the approaching royalty.

A glint of light out of the corner of Shirakawa's eye caught her attention, then a chiming of metal hitting metal did so too. She turned to look at whatever it was, and watched wide-eyed as a set of keys slotted themselves into the lock on the restraints strapping Ichigo to the upright 'bed.' With a small _click_ and a turn of the key, the large, buckle-like mechanism securing his chest came undone, shortly followed by the one across the hips, as the set of keys were removed and reinserted.

Shirakawa found great surprise in the fact that Ichigo did not just drop to the ground suddenly from their elevated position. Instead, they actually stayed airborne for a long moment, and the two were slowly eased to the ground. As her feet touched the ground she took a quick second to turn to look at Lucy.

She wasn't close enough to them to be able to slow their descent, as Lucy's vectors would've only made it to Ichigo's chest, bordering on the Queen's two metre vector range. So that must mean that..! Shirakawa's head snapped back to Ichigo, who, even behind the rough fabric covering his body, she could clearly see that his legs were straining to actually keep him up. Likely due to the extended time of disuse and the lack of proper nutrition and exercise. The boy would be collapsing to the ground something else wasn't keeping him up. But the bespectacled woman could not see anything holding him upright.

Shirakawa was startled in revelation as she realised what this meant. In the short time since Ichigo had first acquired and used his vectors, he had already managed to learn to use it for purposes other than a weapon. He was using them as crutches - or extra legs - to prevent himself from crumpling to the ground in a heap.

The pressure that had been wrapped around her torso suddenly let up as the material that enveloped Ichigo's frame was shredded off of him, the fibrous pieces floating to the ground, leaving Ichigo's bare flesh exposed to everyone around him. The Deputy Director was far too shocked by everything that had happened within the span of only a few minutes that she was only capable of staring as Ichigo began to walk the short distance separating himself from Lucy.

She didn't have the chance to marvel at the fact that Ichigo appeared to be walking perfectly with his invisible limbs, before he was already right in front of the girl. Her eyes remained focused and somewhat entranced as he watched the two Restraint Helmets stare at each other for what felt like an eternity, until their heads slowly came together. Shirakawa almost had to stifle a small giggle when they flinched from their helmets clanking together, but she managed to stop herself due to the volatility of the situation her life was currently in.

But when their heads met, a little more carefully this time, Shirakawa caught the barely audible "Thank you" that Ichigo managed to rasp out. However, she did not hear anything from the Diclonii being thanked due to a sudden intrusion of noise.

"Fire! Now!"

An explosion of light fractured the still air, and the three within the holding cell were bombarded with a wall of sound, an a shower of lead.

With a flicker of movement, Ichigo grabbed Lucy by the arms and swung her around, so that she was on the other side of his body. The two dropped to the ground, Ichigo turning his back to the gunfire and using himself as a human shield, more than prepared to die for the woman whom his arms were now wrapped around.

Pain wracked his body as a bullet penetrated the lower left of his ribcage. Ichigo found himself completely unable to suppress the scream that erupted from his lips. The sound so terrifyingly raw that Shirakawa was certain that his vocal chords would break under the extreme strain she knew they were being put through.

When the barrage of ammunition ceased, Ichigo was unnoticeably surprised, but no less thankful that he had not been hit more than once. For he was sure that, if he had been hit anymore than once, he was certain that he'd be killed due to his state of frailty. But he was somewhat perturbed by the fact that he hadn't been riddled full of holes, underneath the extreme feeling of agony that ripped at his side that is.

As he tried to stand to turn and fight the men assaulting them, his legs gave out and his legs buckled inwards from the weight of his own body. The girl that he had instinctively tried to protect from the hail of gunfire managed to catch him as he fell, thankfully. Ichigo, opting to ignore the closeness of their two body's, tried once again to regain his footing as use his vectors to stabilise himself. But it was to no avail, as he found his body bobbing back and forth atop his shoulders, his consciousness waning more and more as time passed, before he finally gave out to the sweet embrace of the suspension of consciousness.

Ichigo's only memory of the following events were but mere flashes and muted recollections.

* * *

_Bones cracking sharply, and the tearing of flesh sided with the strikingly alluring sprays of blood, which left intricate patterns on the walls and floors of the corridors he assumed he was being carried through._

_"Kisaragi!" _

_"Chief Kurama! I'm sorry! I did it again.." _

_"Kisaragi, Run!" _

_"What's this?" _

_"Run away, now! Lucy, don't!" _

_'Huh, so her name is Lucy..' Was the only thing of importance Ichigo had taken note of, ignoring the grotesque sound of a head being ripped off and the ensuing volley of lead that followed._

* * *

The crashing of waves against rock is what roused him out of his blood-loss induced slumber. His vision blurry as blankly stared out at the large expanse of, what he had to guess was, ocean. The shine of white in the distance drew his attention. The moon. Its shape nothing but a hazy spot in his eyes, its light bearing down on his lifeless form, as if mocking him with its superiority, its control over the tides that beat against the cliff face, and with its relation to what Ichigo once had.

It was then that the realisation hit him. He could actually see again? Had Lucy, at some point, taken the helmet off of his head? The questions raced through his mind, but vocalised none of them. He would not look a gift horse in the mouth after all. She, if it was Lucy that is, had done him a favour and it would not do to question why.

Ichigo took a sharp breath, inwardly wincing as a shot of pain from the bullet wound coursed through his numbing body. He found himself being calmed somewhat, as the cool night air rolled over his form, even though the bite of the cold breeze agitated his injury, he couldn't help the wave of relaxation claim him as his grown out hair silently swayed in the wind, while his state of alertness dwindled.

He did not register the thundering crack that shattered the eerie calm, or the sensation of falling. It was when his skin came in contact with the frigid waters that lapped the rocks below him, that his senses went haywire as the air was punched out of his lungs by the force of collision with the water enveloping his body. His instincts screamed at him to grab something, anything, to keep himself afloat, but found nothing as his body began to sink further beneath the surface.

Perhaps it was his time to go.. He had asked for his life to be put to an end, so maybe his luck had finally run out, and this was how he would come to an end; slowly drowning to death after being carried out of the very place he had wished to escape and the place where he had first and truly sought out the release of death.

What vision blackened as he gazed up at the disturbed, shimmering surface he had fallen through, the pleasant tingle of air bubbles rushing against his skin.

'I'm sorry, everyone. I've failed you..' He mournfully apologised. 'And.. Lucy.. Thank you.. '

* * *

_Evening, the next day._

"We used to play here a lot, didn't we?" A girl spoke to the boy next to her, as they both watched the waves lapping against the quiet beach they stood upon. Her shoulder-length, brown hair gently blowing in the breeze as she watched the boy who was standing in front of her, back turned.

The black-haired boy hummed in agreement. "The three of us, including Kanae, came here on the last day too." He remained still as he continued to gaze out at the expanse of ocean in front of him.

"Kanae.. " Lowering her head, the girl, Yuka, said the name softly as she recalled her memory of the boy's sister.

"She.." The boy, Kouta, began speaking out again, drawing Yuka's attention. "Was collecting seashell from here." He had a small smile of remembrance in his face as they fell into silence. The frothing of tides and distant bird calls soothing the two. A few second passed as they remained that way, until Kouta crouched down, staring at the coarse, golden sand at their feet, a distant expression of his face as he relived the memories of his time here with his younger sister.

Yuka watched Kouta as he stared almost longingly at the few seashells that lay in the sand before him. But the sounds of splashing drew her attention away from her cousin.

Turning to search for the source of the noise she paused as her eyes met with an incredibly strange sight. "Kouta." Yuka called out, her eyes staying on what she was watching.

"What is it?" The young adult being addressed answered, turning his head to look back at his cousin.

"Over there." She replied.

Following her gaze, Kouta looked over to where Yuka was facing and jolted up in surprise as the two of them now took in the sight happening only a few metres away from them.

Slowly dragging the limp body of a man out of the cool, evening water was a girl. Her hair, which clung to her body, was a vibrant pink, and ended just shy of her upper thighs. And both of the people appeared naked as the day they were born.

"What's going on?" Kouta asked in disbelief, his eyes filled with startled confusion.

"H-how am I supposed to know?" Returned Yuka, in much the same state as the boy backing away from the two. "You.. You think we should help?" She suggested, but received no reply this time.

They stared as the girl dropped the arm of the man, which she was using to drag him out of the water with, then stood over him. Raising her hands up to her hair-covered face, she cupped her head in her palms briefly before she dropped them back to her sides and began to frantically to search around. She went to run a step, but her foot caught on the arm she had just let go of. Sending her face down into the sand.

Sitting back up to look at what had tripped her, the girl voiced a small sound, before her eyes widened, and she launched herself at the prone form of the apparently unconscious man, and started shaking him like one would try to wake someone who sleeps.

"Nyuu! Nyuu!" The loud cries coming from the girl startled Kouta and Yuka momentarily, before the latter rushed over to the pink-haired girl when it looked like she was going to burst out into tears.

"Hey.. What..?"

"Kouta, take off your shirt, quickly!" Yuka called out over her shoulder as she started to remove the coat that she was wearing.

"Huh?" Was the inarticulate reaction from Kouta.

"I need your shirt, Kouta, please!" Doing as told, he started removing the white shirt that he currently wore, as he watched his cousin drape the brown coat she had been wearing over the man's much larger frame. He noticed the bright red streak across her face and cheeks, and pondered for a moment why she was blushing. The fact that the two of them were completely nude came back to him and he realised that she must've looked at something that she shouldn't have.

Kouta had barely pulled his arms out of the sleeves when Yuka was suddenly right there in front of him, the blush more pronounced and trying to rip the item of clothing off his body.

"Turn around, Kouta." She ordered him.

"Huh? Okay then." He did as told and turned around. After a few second he heard the girl making that "Nyuu" sound, the upwards inflection clearly questioning whatever actions Yuka was doing. He heard the latter mutter something and then only the sound of rustling clothing for a short time after that.

Chancing that the end of the sound was his queue to turn around, he watched Yuka do the last button up on the pinkette's only piece of clothing, and breathed a sigh of relief when it looked like the mystery girl had calmed down somewhat.

"Do, uhh, do you think he's dead?" Kouta asked, walking up to the lying down, pinkish-orange-haired male.

"I'm not sure. But look at this, Kouta. Her headdress makes her look as though she's got horns." Reaching up the touch the bony protrusion, Yuka found herself greatly startled when she brushed back the hair surrounding one of the horns. "Whaa? They're growing right out of her head!" She exclaimed.

"What! Really? What about the guy?" He questioned, and the two of them turned to the person lying in the sand. What they saw shook them to the core. Not only did he have horns, but they were not only multiple time larger and longer than the woman's own, they were also far more vicious looking, like someone had stuck a pair of white knives to the side of his head.

The stayed in an awestruck silence as the girl moved back to the man's side, and started slowly nudging him again. Quietly whispering "Nyuu" over and over again. It was almost saddening to watch the way she tried to wake the deathly pale man from his slumber.

"What do you think we should do?" Kouta questioned, looking to Yuka for an answer.

"I think we should take them to your place for now. I can take care of the injuries that they've got." Yuka replied staring down at the two new arrivals.

"My place?" Pointing at himself he gave her a confused look.

"The place where you'll be living from now on. Because we can't leave the two of them like this. We've got to do something to help them." Yuka clarified. To which Kouta hummed in thought.

"Okay.. But it's going to take both of us to carry him there." It was not like he had much choice in the matter anyway.

* * *

_**Done. Hope you enjoyed it. I was a bit uncertain about the end, as I had changed their reaction and a few lines of dialogue quite a bit.**_

_**Also, I skipped over most of the scenes where it would be Lucy doing canon stuff, as I assume you most, if not all of you, know what happens and don't need me wasting your time reading something you've already watched/read multiple times.**_

_**REVIEWS: **_

**_Thorndsword: _**_He will retain most of his canon self, however mainly just his 'normal' personality. As I mentioned last review section, I will be making appropriate changes that make him more of a Diclonius. All will be revealed with time._

**_Arawn D. Draven: _**_Haha, sorry, I have a habit of doing that unintentionally. And thanks man, means a lot._

**_Everyone: _**_Thank you for all your praise, it means so much to know that I'm doing a good job with my writing._

_**- Gorgantuan.**  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_A week after Ichigo's departure._

A lithe and nimble figure leapt its way over fences and hedges alike as it made its way through the peaceful town of Kamakura. Any people it passed by were only granted the sight of a small, black blur and the occasional glimpse of a lengthy appendage, or the glimmer of yellow.

The cat form of Yoruichi speedily made its way through the hustle and bustle of evening traffic, likely on their way home from a hard day of work. Stopping only to gain her bearings, the Shihōin noble continued on her way to her destination; the hotel just over the crest of the hill she was climbing over. Deciding to not waste any more time, she pushed the reiatsu through her body and shifted into shunpo.

Reaching the peak of the hill, she gazed out over the portion of the town that Ichigo was staying in. Amongst all of the grey constructs, but not breaking the flow of the rooftops, was the hotel. It stood several stories above the surrounding buildings, but still remained flush with the rest to the town.

She began her travel once again.

Initially Yoruichi had volunteered to accompany Ichigo throughout the entirety of his vacation, although without the teenager's knowledge. But Isshin had brought up a point that had caused her to change that plan to just visiting and checking up on him once a week, or every few days if the holiday did not seem like it was going as predicted. Although she agreed with Isshin's notion, she had been rather annoyed that she was not going to be able to have a small vacation herself, alongside Ichigo.

But Ichigo's wellbeing as of now was quite significantly more important than her need for relaxation. If what Kisuke, Isshin and herself thought would be soon happening, they would need the boy in as good a state as possible for events soon to come. Perhaps she might be able to have some fun while she was here. Yoruichi was sure that Ichigo wouldn't mind if she happened to 'drop by' while he was in the shower.

Well, actually.. She wouldn't mind.

Coming to a stop on the rooftop opposite the hotel, she slinked her way around the edge of the roof to get a view into the inside of the room that she knew he was staying in, and raised a feline eyebrow when she spotted something unusual within the room.

It appeared uninhabited. Not like he wasn't currently inside, but rather, that he had never even been inside the room yet. From what she could see, the pamphlets on the small table by the door looked as if they hadn't been perused through at all. She couldn't see any bags within the room, and the small kitchen looked spotless. Plus the bed also seemed as though it had never been slept in or touched, as the sheets were evenly flattened and appeared neatly tended. Even the little piece of candy they leave on top of the pillow was still there.

Her face scrunched up into a mystified expression, unless Ichigo had gained obsessive need to be neat over the course of the week that he had been away, it seemed like he had never even entered the room at all. Yoruichi opted to just wait for a few hours and see if he returns at all. There is no use jumping to conclusions over something like a neat living space. She would wait for a few more hours, just until it was past the time that they - the few amenities that Kamakura had - were open till.

* * *

_ Present Time._

With a gasp and rapid, panicked breathing, Ichigo jolted awake. As his eyes flew open, he found his vision to be cloudy and his throat drier than the sands of Hueco Mundo, as he sucked in those haggard gasps of air. He soon found himself coughing and spluttering as, what felt like liquid, rose up into his throat. He gagged as the feel and taste of congealed salt water poured out of his windpipe and into his mouth, then, with a sideways snap of the neck, spat the mass onto whatever he was currently lying on.

Ichigo remained as he was for many long, painful minutes. His ears rung with a piercing whine, and everything in his vision spun. The few details and shapes that he could make out made little sense to him.

Had he not drowned? The last thing that he remembered was the gradual crushing force of water pressing down on him as he sank into the ocean. So was this not the afterlife? If it was, who had performed his Soul Burial? He had could only guess that there were no Shinigami on the island - his guess for where he was, from recalling the hazy memories - he had been trapped on, to perform said ritual. But if this was not the afterlife, then where was he?

Ichigo was caught off guard by the sound of light thumping against the floor that he lay upon, coinciding with a series of muffled shouts. He let out a strained yelp as he felt something press against the gunshot wound he had acquired during his escape with Lucy. He heard another shout from the person within the room he was in, then more footsteps. Ichigo could now hear two more voices, both talking far too loud for his liking, even though he could not discern what any of them were saying. Though, he did manage to catch the multiple use of the word "Nyuu." Whatever that was meant to mean.

As the noise continued to linger, he felt his head throb and ache, and his patience with these people start to wear thin. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself for the oncoming pain that he was about to inflict on himself.

"Shut up!" His sudden growl jarring his skull, causing him to silently gasp in pain as his head suffered the repercussions of his outburst.

Through the ringing in his ears he could tell that his yell had indeed silenced them, which he was thankful for. What he wasn't thankful for, however, is how his body screamed at him to stop whenever he tried to adjust his weight in any way.

Attempting to sit up, his malnourished arms and diminished muscles protesting the movements, Ichigo's extreme willpower managed to win out as he pushed his torso upright. He recoiled suddenly as he felt a gentle hand being placed on his back. the rapid jolt of his body striking him with a wave a pain, causing him to hunch over forwards.

He remained that way for a few more minutes, gasping and panting his way through the agony that ripped at his side. He was thankful for whoever had done their best to patch him up, as he was sure that the pain would be much worse had they not. 'Shit.. I'd probably even be dead.' Ichigo thought grimly.

When a hand pressed itself softly against his shoulder, and pushing lightly, goading him to lay flat again he shrugged it off instantly. "No.. I'm fine.." He protested weakly. "I just.. Just need some water.." His dry, raspy voice making the urgency for the clean liquid clearer. A soothing voice right next to him spoke up, then a second, deeper voice answered, followed by the sound of somebody exiting the room then re-entering only seconds later.

A hand under his chin started lifting his head up, before he quickly batted the hand away. "I'm not helpless.. I can drink it myself.." Even though his vision was now clearing partially, he still did not trust his perception of depth with the way he was now. So, instead of reaching out for the cup of water, he raised his palms for whoever had the drink, gesturing for them to put the container in his hands.

He felt the weight of the cup being placed into his open hands, and slowly wrapped his hands around it, ensuring he would not drop it. Gradually he managed to raise it to his lips and begin taking long, greedy gulps. Relieved that it was room temperature, and not ice cold.

Ichigo shivered momentarily as a small stream escaped from the corner of his mouth and ran down, onto his chest. Which he now realised was bare. He pried the cup away from his less parched mouth, and brought them down to rest on his lap. Breathing deeply as he found his thirst quenched for the time being.

"Are you okay? Did you want some more?" A womanly voice asked. He question got a short shake of the head.

"No, I'm fine for now, thank you." Ichigo's voice now noticeable less hoarse than it was before. He was greatly relieved that his hearing had cleared up, and his vision returning to him, as he sat there regulating his breathing pattern.

"Where am I?" Ichigo broke the rather uncomfortable silence that had started to befall the four people currently in the room.

"You're Kamakura City." The girl's voice answered. "We found you and Nyuu on the local beach. You were unconscious and she was pulling you ashore. So we carried you back to our home." She said, following up her answer with a little more detail and explantion.

"Nyuu? I don't think I know who.." Ichigo stopped his talking when he felt someone's hand on top of his thigh.

Opening his eyes, which he had closed to try and stifle the lingering headache, he looked at the petite hand resting atop his leg. Following it, he spotted the bright pink hair running down a feminine body. Even with his vision being hazy around the edges, he could clearly see the worried look on the face of the girl he was now meeting his gaze with. He slowly processed her striking features. The searing pink eyes, the hair several shades darker than the ball of energy known as Yachiru, and finally, protruding from her wash of rose, a pair of rounded, bony horns.

As if synchronised, the two of them lifted an arm and reached out to the other. Ichigo gently running the pad of his finger against the surface of the horn growing out of her head. Mirroring him, she tenderly traced the edge of his elongated horns, making sure to not cut herself on the unnaturally sharp contour.

"Lucy.." He whispered, realising who this girl in front of him was.

Lucy, who was now on the verge of tears again, shouted out loud before practically tackling Ichigo back into a lying position.

"Nyuu! Nyuu!" Ichigo hissed as the abrupt charging motion slammed him against the ground, sending a new wave of pain through his system. "Nyuu!" Lucy continued to shout.

"Nyuu, you can't do that! You'll hurt him more!" The male's startled tone called out from above Ichigo. He could feel them attempting to pull Lucy off him, but her arms were firmly locked beneath both his and Lucy's own body. "Come on, you've got to get off of him!" The male voice said again.

"Lucy.. Please.. Stop crushing me.." Ichigo croaked, and was surprised when the girl actually did as he asked. He didn't think she'd hear him over all of the commotion.

Lucy slowly pried herself up off of Ichigo, but remained straddling his lap, as she stared down at him, hot streaks of tears running freely down her face. Panting heavily to regain his ability to intake air, Ichigo felt the room spinning as he dizzily bobbed his head from side to side. Gradually he came right again, calming himself as he met eyes with the woman on top of him.

He showed no reaction to the fact that Lucy was mounted on top of his hips, let alone the fact that she only wore a white shirt that was slightly too small for her, and a pair of small shorts. Had his time and the pain he'd been through taken more from him than just his humanity, and his will to live? Had his sense of decency and modesty been robbed from him by the scientists whom had examined every inch of his body during the time as their experiment? Or was it that he had been stark naked right before multiple sets of eyes an innumerable amount of times? He did not know for certain, and he did not think that he ever would.

"Uhh, Nyuu.. Maybe you should sit down somewhere other than his lap?" The womanly voice suggested. Ichigo took a glance to his side to look at the girl speaking. He could clearly see the evidence of a blush forming on her face. Likely due to the rather promiscuous position he and Lucy were in.

Ichigo frowned as a question jumped to the front of his mind. "Why do you keep calling her that? Her name is Lucy." He stated with a raised eyebrow. Or at least he thought he had raised his eyebrow. Other than the pain a substantial amount of his body numb thanks to the severe blood loss.

"Oh, well, uhh.. Since we found you two, it was the only thing she seemed to be able to say. So we decided to call her that." The other male in the room replied to Ichigo's query, a slightly uneasy tone in his voice.

Ichigo's expression went blank for a moment. "You're not very creative, are you?" He affirmed more than asked, genuinely amazed by the laziness of the teenager sitting across the room from him.

"S-Shut up, at least I'm not named after a fruit, like you!" The minute the words left his mouth, he instantly paled and stiffened.

"Kouta! You weren't supposed to say anything yet!" The girl reprimanded Kouta. Neither of the two noticing the emotionless look flash into existence across Ichigo's face.

"Sorry, Yuka. It just sorta came out I -"

"How do you two know my name?" Ichigo's deep, hoarse voice almost sounded murderous as he spoke to them. The Yuka and Kouta flinched at the dead serious look Ichigo sported.

"Umm, w-we found a flier in the houses letterbox when we arrived. It had your n-name and picture on it." Kouta stuttered out. "W-Well at least, we think it's a picture of you." The black-haired teen finished.

"Show it to me." He left no room for arguement.

Kouta quickly nodded before bolting out of the room clamour of thumping feet and sliding doors. He soon returned with a weathered piece of paper in his hand, and without queue to pass it to Ichigo, the boy basically threw it at him, fear made evident by his shaking hands.

Lifting the sheet to his face, Ichigo began inspecting the slightly tanned paper, and found his eyes widening as he realised what it was.

A flier for a missing person; him. At the top, in big, bold letters, under the word 'Missing' was his name. Below that was his school I.D. picture. And further below that was a description of his appearance, age, height, weight, hair and eye colour. Hell, even his blood type was on there. Seeing a small 'Date Last Seen' section, another question slammed into the forefront of his mind, and he was already asking it before he'd even realised.

"What is the date?" His voice cracking slightly, as panic seeped into his words.

"It's the twenty-ninth of April." Yuka intoned straight away, already knowing why Ichigo was asking this.

Ichigo lay there, silent and unblinking. He mouth miming the same two words over and over again. Lucy, for some reason, started looking more and more distressed as his mouthing gained volume. "Seven months.." Ichigo's face slowly morphed into an expression of terror and worry.

"Seven Months.." His breathing was becoming erratic and quick. "I've been gone for seven months!" He shouted, his voice shaken. A sudden movement, and he was upright once again. Causing Lucy to backpedal slightly lest she be impaled by his horns. "I was in there for seven months!" His vocals chords sounding like they would tear if they were put under any more strain caused by his screaming. "I have to leave! I have to get home!" He tried to stand, but immediately collapsed. He uttered one more scream before blackness consumed him.

"Yuzu! Karin!"

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed that. **_

_**I've kind of set myself a goal to update weekly. So that's when you can expect new chapters. But with work, life, etc, they can be delayed a day or two.**_

_**REVIEWS:**_

_**Multiple People: **Sorry, but this is the kinda chapter length that I'm going to keep writing these. Many reasons. 1. I work fulltime so I don't really have large amounts of spare time to write 2. I'm trying to keep it interesting for myself, and any longer and it would feel like a chore to do them. 3. it lets me release chapters quicker._

_**Arawn D. Draven: **I'm not pulling that many readers! Pretty sure you've got more than me, mate, hahah. Cheers for the kind words though.b_

**_Thanks for reading._**

**_- Gorgantuan._**


	6. Chapter 6

_A week after Ichigo's departure._

"Isshin! Wake up!"

"Hrrrnnn, no, Masaki.. Engetsu's had enough for tonight.. let it rest for a wYYEEEOOOUUCH!" The previously sleeping Isshin yelped in pain when a pair of claws slashed across his face. Bolting upright in his bed, he clutched his face as small trickles of blood started seeping from the numerous red lines covering his skin. Peeking between his fingers, Isshin stared at the almost invisible cat standing next to him, on his bed. He could see some kind of emotion in her eyes, but thanks to having just been awoken, and it being pitch-black outside, he could not figure out what emotion she was displaying.

"Yoruichi? What is it? It's past midnight.." He grumbled tiredly. "Shouldn't you be at the Shōten? Oh.." He paused. "Did you finally get tired of Kisuke and decided to take me for a spi-" He tried to speak out, but was cut off.

"Ichigo's missing!" Her voice was filled with worry

"What are you talking about, Yoruichi? We sent him away on a vacation, remember?" The bearded man yawned as he spoke.

Without warning, Yoruichi drove her claws into his thigh, eliciting a rather unmanly squeak from the Kurosaki patriarch.

"Owww, Yoruichi! I'm already awake, you don't need to keep hurting me!" The grown man whined as he tenderly rubbed the new source of pain.

"I know that we sent him on vacation! I just went to check up on him at the hotel and there was no trace of him ever entering his room!" This instantly got the father's attention.

"What do you mean 'no trace of him.'" His tone was deadly serious as he stared the werecat down.

The Shihōin princess did not falter in the least at the male's glare. "What I mean is, when I arrived to see how he was doing, I couldn't find him in the room we got him." Yoruichi told Isshin. "I thought he might've been out somewhere, so I waited." Her voice becoming more urgent. "But when he didn't return after a few more hours, I decided to sneak inside. Isshin, none of his bags were in the room, and I couldn't pick up his scent at all. Not only that, but his name has been completely erased from the hotel's registry!" At this point she was almost yelling as she tried to get her words across to the man who was staring her straight in the face.

Isshin stayed silent for a good while, before speaking once more. "Shit.." He murmured the only word he could think to say at that very point in time. "Do you think that _they_ have gone after him already?" He asked, standing up out of his bed.

"No, not likely." Yoruichi's voice now steady and even. "If it was, I doubt that they would be as thorough as to remove any record of him being there. Moreover, only you, your daughters, plus Kisuke and I know where he is. If they are trying to track him down, they would come to Karakura and search for him here." She explained her reasoning.

Isshin just sighed heavily and nodded wearily in agreement. "You're right about that.. However, I don't think we can completely rule them out just because of that." He added as he opened the large closest in his room and started digging for something.

"Indeed. Until we get some sort of lead, nothing is.. uhh, Isshin, what are you doing?" Raising an eyebrow as she watched the ex-Taichō eject himself from his body with what appeared to be a gikongan, she found herself confused for a brief amount of time.

"I assume you have not told Kisuke about this yet, Yoruichi-san?" He pushed the mod soul driving his body back into bed, ordering it to stay there.

"No, I came straight here. Why?" The cat questioned.

"Meet me at the Shōten. We'll tell Kisuke about what has happened, because knowing him, he's probably gone behind our back at some point and decided to track where Ichigo goes." Isshin said, calmly. However, he was anything but on the inside. It was visibly obvious that he was trying to keep his cool and not rush off the find his son himself; his shaking hand displaying the visible effort he was using to repress to urge to leave. "Plus, if there is anybody who'd have an idea of who took Ichigo, it would be him." Opening the door and stepping into the hallway he heard Yoruichi call to him once more.

"You are going to tell them, right?" Her stern questioning not getting a reaction from Isshin.

"Of course I am. But.. but not until after they have finish school tomorrow. Right now, they need to sleep and not be worried about their brother."

* * *

_Present time._

As the door clacked shut, Kouta and Yuka let out a breath that they had unknowingly been holding in for great deal of time. As they walked away from the room that, the now confirmed, Ichigo was fast asleep in they took one last glance, before walking away to the kitchen silently.

Sitting down at the table, Kouta stared at the sheet of paper in his hands, taking in the scowling face that glared back at him.

"I can't believe how different he looks. What do you think happened to him, Yuka?" He asked the girl across from him.

She stayed mute for a while. "I don't know, Kouta." Was all she could say. Her mind was still reeling from the difference between the boy in the picture and the one in the other room. One looked brash and stubborn, while the other seemed crushed, defeated, and had an air of lingering suffering. What could've possibly happened between the time of his disappearance, and now to shift his personality in such a way?

"We could ask him once he wakes up." He suggested, and received a dirty look in response, causing him to falter.

"We are _not_ going to ask Ichigo what happened to him!" The emphasis on 'not' signalling Kouta to not suggest doing such a thing again. "It's obvious that he's been through a lot of pain, and we don't need to know more than that. Even though I do want to know more myself, it's not our business." Yuka said, averting her eyes from her cousin as she continued. "Right now, all we should to do is call the person who put up the flyer and get Ichigo back to his family."

"And what about Nyuu? Oh, I'm mean Lucy?" A small blush of embarrassment crept onto Kouta's face as he remembered being told Lucy's name by Ichigo, and the comment he had made.

"She will more than likely go with Ichigo. Lucy seems to be really attached to him, so I doubt they would appreciate being separated." She responded to Kouta, grabbing the sheet from the black-haired teenager. Standing, she made her way over to the phone, and started dialling the number on the paper. She briefly heard him mutter an agreeing word.

Ringing chimed in her ear multiple times as she waited, nervously, for someone to pick up and answer. A soft click signalled the picking up of the phone on the other end.

"H-Hello? Kurosaki residence." A young, girl's voice answered. Yuka could practically hear the unease and lack of sleep seeping through the phone line.

"Hello, would I be able to speak to Isshin, please?" She asked, reading the name of the person whom she had to speak to.

"May I ask what for?" Was she getting.. Irritated? Angry? She'd barely said ten words to the girl, and already her demeanour's changed.

"I found a flyer in my letterbox and wish to speak with Isshin Kurosaki about it." Yuka steeled herself as she continued talking to the girl on the other end of the phone. However, the response was not the one that she was expecting.

"There's no reward! Stop trying to give us false information about where my brother might be!" The scream loud enough to make Yuka flinch away from the phone. That partially explained why the girl was so angry.

Cringing at the sound of light sobbing, Yuka braved whatever reaction might come next. "I'm sorry if I've upset you, Kurosaki-san. But, I'm not calling about a reward."

"Then what do you want!" Another scream.

"I found your-" She was cut off by the phone being - what sounded like - snatched out of Ichigo's sister's hands and the tone of a new, masculine speaker.

"Why are you calling!? There's no reward for information about my son, and you've also managed to cause my daughter a great amount of grief! So what do you want, assh-"

"Sir! I found your son!" Yuka didn't know why, what, or possibly who had gotten them to a state like the one they were in. So she had decided to just get straight to the point of the reason for calling.

When no reply came, she thought that maybe the man had already hung up on her, thinking that it was just a sick joke. But the man, whom she believed was Isshin, started talking again. This time in a much more serious, but almost disbelieving voice.

"You found.. What makes you think that I would believe that?!" Isshin shouted at her, clearly not buying the truth she told. "My son has been gone almost seven months. We've had around five people claiming the exact same thing, only to find out that they were lying!" The man exclaimed, providing her with further information into the 'why' of their attitude.

"Because he is currently in the other room of the house we are staying in." She told him, hoping to he might believe her a bit more.

"Then put him on. If he is there with you, put him on the phone." Isshin's deadly tone drawing a light sweat from Yuka's skin.

"I can't right now.. He's unconscious." That, in retrospect, made her sound even less credible.

The call remained silent for a few seconds, and Yuka was about to speak up when Isshin beat her to it. "I'm going to hang up the phone now. We've been through enough already, and don't need more false hope."

Yuka was beginning to panic. She wasn't lying! But any protested to this fact would shake her already unstable authenticity, from Isshin point of view. She had to tell him something that would get his attention, and she couldn't use anything like physical appearances, as it was all listed on the sheet. Wait, his sisters!

"Karin and Yuzu! Ichigo said that his sisters' names were Karin and Yuzu!" Yuka hoped that was good enough to keep him in the call.

"How do you know those names?" He sounded like he was trying to interrogate her now. Which caused her to falter for a moment.

"Ich-Ichigo.. He, uhh, he shouted them, saying that he needed to get home when we showed him the sheet you had put in our mailbox. Then he fell unconscious trying to get out of the bed he was in." She got out as much information as she could muster with one breath. "He was really hurt and even though he knew that he was, Ichigo was about to try and walk to your home, but his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious." She partially explained the reason as to why Isshin's son had just 'fell unconscious.'

After another brief silence, Isshin began talking again. "You.. You really have my son." Despite it being more of a statement of confirmation, the words were laced with so much hope and emotion that it almost became of question pleading to be answered 'Yes.'

Yuka breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Her attempt at trying to make sure that he knew she was telling the truth, which had been more of a stab in the dark than anything, had nevertheless proven successful. A commotion in the background drew Yuka's attention, and she listened quietly as she heard Ichigo's father shouting orders away from the phone, likely to his daughter.

"Yuzu! Please call Urahara-san with my phone and tell him that Yoruichi needs to get to Kamakura, right now!" Urahara? Yoruichi? Family friends, perhaps? Hearing an faint reply that she presumed was Yuzu, Yuka made to inform Isshin about their location, but the man beat her to it. Again.

"Whereabouts in Kamakura do you live?"

While Yuka started giving the man the directions and location of their house, Kouta sat, listening to his cousin talk to the muffled callings of the father on the phone. He smiled as Yuka's expression lightened as the two communicated back and forth. He doubted that he would've been able to keep the man on the phone, or keep a steady voice. By the small snippets of the conversation that he had managed to hear, and the Yuka's side of the conversation, he could only guess that Isshin hadn't believed her when she said they found Ichigo. But Yuka had managed in the end. She had always been like that, ever since they were children she had always been the more responsible one out of the two.

A sudden chill running the centre of Kouta's spine cut into his short, reminiscent thought process. Glancing around, he searched for something indicating that there might be a breeze from an open window or perhaps a fan. But found nothing, other than the door to the kitchen that they had left open. A distant banging sound coming from the hallway caused Kouta's to raise a brow and get out of his seat to investigate. Walking down the passageway, the black-haired teen caught the sight of something moving and he headed towards it.

Kouta's face morphed into a puzzled expression when he found that the source of the noise and movement was the front door trying to slam itself shut in the wind.

"Huh? I could've sworn I had closed and locked this door." Peeking outside he saw a torrential downpour of rain and harsh winds whipping the shower of droplets back and forth. "That rain sure did come out of nowhere." Closing the door, and making sure to lock it, he turned back around to return to the kitchen, but glanced down the other hallway that lead to the room Ichigo and Lucy were currently.

Deciding to check on the unconscious man and the pink-haired girl, he made his way down to the door to if Ichigo's condition had changed. Kouta felt his body shake slightly as he made his way there. Not from cold this time, but rather, from anxiety and perhaps fear. Seeing the horns attached to heads of the two they had found caused him a great unease, and the girl herself brought images from his childhood sprinting into his mind to be remembered. However, no names line up, no faces can be distinguished through a veil of forgotten time. But he did remember horns, for what reason, he had no idea, but he was certain that seeing Lucy's horns were the only ones that brought back a tightening of the chest. Ichigo's, he knew, just scared him.

Turning a corner, he stopped as he stared at a wide open door. Kouta knew they had closed that door, for sure. Had Lucy gone to the bathroom, maybe?

Stepping inside, the teen froze and his eyes widened as he stared at the stop Ichigo lay. Or, where he _should_ be laying down, unconscious and unable to move. Because there, in the centre of the room, blankets strewn across the floor and a small stain of blood, was the empty cot that Ichigo had been in not ten minutes ago.

* * *

_**Apologies for the delay, and if it's a bit shorter than expected. Been pretty busy lately. Also, if this was a bit of a boring chapter it's because I'm in a sort of transition faze between the EL and the Bleach plotlines atm with the story.**_

_**Originally this chapter was going to be about 4-5k but work took precedence and life slow down my writing, so I decided to end the chapter there and not make you wait for another week or two. Apologies for the sort-of-cliffhanger.  
**_

_**No replies this time around. But I appreciated ALL of your review and loved reading them all.**_

_**QUESTION for you readers: Is there any one you would like to see killed? I have about 4 or 5 people I'm planning to kill off, and was curious as to whether there was someone in particular you want me to kill?**_

_**Hope you enjoyed**_

_**- Gorgantuan.**_


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